Welcome to the Program

[airlockedmods]

Good Morning, Champions. In the interest of maintaining healthy sleep patterns, a day/night cycle is in effect. Your presence is expected in the cafeteria in exactly one hour.

[The voice comes through not a large speaker, but through the device that's attached to each Champion's arm. Further investigation of the features of the device will reveal a list of profiles, a mini-map, and a list of rules. The hallways are shiny white and silver, with running lights along the floor and lights on the ceiling, and at the junction of the hallways is a sign with a knife and fork icon and an arrow pointing down the hall.

Welcome to the Excellence Program, Champions. Time to get to know your teammates.]

Comments

[photoshooter]

I'm not saying someone took your memories on purpose, but... there was, um. An accident.

[An accident named Ardyn Motherfucking Izunia. He tries to keep his voice gentle.]

See, from where I'm standing, everything that went down in Insomnia with the treaty--that happened ages ago. All five of us finally made it to Altissia. But if you got hurt so bad it made you lose your memory... then it makes sense why you couldn't let us know you were okay.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[This... Prompto, you are spoiling her for the future, yet still being vague...]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean about Insomnia. The city is safe, even with the Empire there.

[photoshooter]

...Maybe we should sit down to talk about this.

[This is the worst. Worse than Ignis waking up to his eyes bandaged and asking why. Worse than trying to decide what to tell Noct. Worse than Gladio trapped in hotel rooms that looked too small to hold his anger and grief.

Worse than sitting by himself and finding that picture of her wedding dress in his camera, still.]

[keepmeinyourheart]

[This is filling her with dread, but curiosity might just win out. Yet she lifts her hand.]

If it is too difficult for you to speak about, I can wait. Whatever you must tell me cannot be changed while we are here.

[photoshooter]

No... no, I think you should know.

[He shakes his head.]

Better to hear it from a friend than find out when we get there, right?

[keepmeinyourheart]

[This... Is going to be painful, isn't it?]

Then let's find a place to sit.

[photoshooter]

There's some kind of movie room at the end of the hall. [He points.] It'll probably be quiet there, everyone's supposed to be heading to the cafeteria. Will that work?

[keepmeinyourheart]

Yes, of course.

[Lead the way. She'll be right behind you.]

[photoshooter]

[Here we go, media room. Prompto goes down to the front row and takes a seat near the end, leaving her the corner if she wants it or the seat on his other side if she doesn't need the space an end seat affords her.

He rubs at his palm for a moment, quiet, before he finally starts.]

So the last thing you remember... was hearing that Noct and the rest of us had left for Altissia? So, before the treaty signing?

[Obviously. But he has to check.]

[keepmeinyourheart]

[Just in case he needs some comfort, she takes the seat in his other side. Placing her hands in her lap, she nods with a grim expression.]

My brother caught me trying to leave for Altissia, hence why I was in Insomnia instead.

[photoshooter]

Ravus. Right.

[Aw, man, is he going to have to tell her what the Empire's doing to him, too? Shiva grant him mercy, one thing at a time.]

So, um. The treaty was a trap. Really, they just wanted to get inside so they could take the Crystal.

[keepmeinyourheart]

.... [This doesn't surprise her.] My being there must have been part of that trap.

[photoshooter]

I think so. After... after the city fell, all the newspapers reported that you and Noct died, too. Obviously, we were with Noct so we knew that wasn't right, and we got a message from you not too long after that, but at the time, it was--it was hard to hear.

[He laces his fingers together and rests his elbows on his knees, breathing out slow.]

Lucis is as much under the "protection" of the Empire as everywhere else, now.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[Insomnia fell? Luna feels a lump in her throat, eyes wide.]

.... Prompto, what happened to King Regis?

[photoshooter]

...He didn't make it.

['Entrusted it to me? Then why didn't he tell ME that? Why did he stand there smiling as I left?']

...Noct... is the king now. His Majesty gave the Ring of the Lucii to you so you could get it to Noct.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[She looks at her hands, clenched together in a vice grip, white from the pressure. Her heart feels heavy. The tears want to spill over, they threaten to as she takes a deep breath to compose herself.

Very carefully she lets her poor hands move till she has them once again folded neatly on her lap. It's then that she dares to look at Prompto.]

Was I successful? Did Noctis receive the ring?

[photoshooter]

[Nod.]

Yeah. Um, it took a while, but eventually we all made it to Altissia. The Empire was there, but for some reason, they didn't interfere with the Rite until--oh, shoot, uh, did you know about that? Part of the reason it took so long is Noct had to go receive the blessings of the Six on the way, so you were traveling ahead of us waking them up. The Imperials kind of took issue with that and kept trying to kill them.

[keepmeinyourheart]

....... I know. Shiva has been dead for some time now, since she was in Niflheim. [Gentiana is a High Messenger of the Astrals, after all. Word kinda got back to her.] I am not surprised they would go to such lengths to ensure Noctis never received the powers he is meant to have. Though I am glad to hear he forged covenants with them.

[photoshooter]

Uh-huh. He's met three of them now: Titan, Ramuh, and Leviathan.

[As Lunafreya's just stated, forging a covenant with Shiva will probably be, um. Difficult. Ifrit's right out. And where in the world is Bahamut, anyway?]

So... just a couple days ago, you called up Leviathan without a hitch. Except once she got there, she kind of threw a hissy fit? And started wrecking the whole place. At the same time, the Imperial air fleet started attacking. Me and Iggy and Gladio were evacuating the Altissians, and Noct was just trying to get her to listen to him, and...

[He stops abruptly, the words bottled up behind his teeth, and then he forces a breath out through his nose.]

And nobody saw Ardyn coming.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[They were all so courageous. Heroic. Doing what they could to support their new king and friend.

And nobody saw Ardyn coming...

Lunafreya reaches over, placing a hand on Prompto's shoulder.]

Prompto... I do not blame you or the others for not protecting me. The citizens of Altissia needed you.

[photoshooter]

[He looks up at the sudden, gentle touch, and then he swallows, squeezing his eyes shut, before coming back up with a wobbly attempt at a smile.]

I--I know. And in a situation like that, I would've just been in everyone else's way. But...

[Noct, lying lifelessly on that bed in the Leville because Leviathan took everything he had and then some, power that wasn't his, blazing through him because he had no choice but to win--and, winning, left scoured out and empty, not knowing what he lost. Noct, waking up to loneliness and a ring of death.

The wobbly smile falls away.]

But it's not fair. I, I'm glad you're okay, but Noct... Noct thinks you're dead. Everyone thinks you're dead. And Ardyn had no reason to hurt you.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[All of this was hard to take in. The pain that Prompto was feeling, things that she doesn't remember that happened to her... it leaves her feeling guilty. Yet at the same time, knowing she was able to fulfill her duty, leaves her with a sense of peace as well.]

When we return to Eos, we can assure him that I survived. Then we can find out what Ardyn meant by doing what he did.

[photoshooter]

[He starts to smile at the first part, then scowls at the second.]

Or I could shoot him in the kneecap.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[........]

I shouldn't condone it, but that is an option for restraint. Let us find a less violent way first.

[photoshooter]

[Under his breath:] Do we have to?